


Petals in the Air

by turtleeden



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Post-Canon, Post-Game Adventures, ShuAnnWeek2020, be mindful of your sugar intake readers, the kids are here this time!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23543509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtleeden/pseuds/turtleeden
Summary: It's spring and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. This year, Akira and Ann decide to have a family outing in the form of a Hanami picnic in Inokashira Park. And they will definitely make it fun for their two children.Day 3 Prompt: Cherry Blossom/Rose
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25
Collections: Shuann Week 2020





	Petals in the Air

Spring has arrived, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom once more.

Akira and Ann decided to have a _Hanami_ picnic this year, now that their little family was growing in size. Akira was very particular about watching the weather for a picnic, since he wanted to make it special for his children. Ann was definitely in favor of this. Family outings like a simple picnic were something that was new to her since she didn't do much of that with her own parents, so doing it for the kids was something she'd be more than happy to do. Once they managed to pick out what was expected to be a sunny day, Akira and Ann worked their schedules around so that they could have a family day together. Today, their destination was Inokashira Park, a place that was dear to both of them growing up. It was where they frequently bonded as friends, and where they spent romantic dates as a young couple. With so many memories within that park, what better place to have a _Hanami_ picnic with their young children?

“Papa! Mama! Look, look!”

Mari, their young daughter, was pointing at the countless rows of cherry blossom trees on the streets excitedly with a wide smile on her face. Since she recently turned two, Mari was getting a little better at saying complete sentences. And she was definitely making great use of the words she’s learned by expressing her awe at the sight before her. Thanks to being perched upon her father’s shoulders as he walked, Mari had a great view of her own as they headed towards Inokashira Park. 

“So many flowers!” she chimed happily.

“I see them all!” Ann responded with glee, smiling at her excited daughter. “Aren’t they pretty, MariMari?”

“So pretty, Mama!” Mari answered.

“You sound so excited up there,” Akira mused, rubbing at Mari’s dangling leg. “Since this is your first time seeing the cherry blossoms like this, I’m not surprised.”

“It’s pretty, Papa!” Mari repeated, nodding vigorously. “Petals are flying!”

“Mhm, they can do that, honey. The wind can carry them easily.” Ann said, before turning her attention to the stroller she was pushing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them got into Tadashi’s stroller while he’s sleeping.”

Tadashi, the newest addition to the family, was sleeping soundly despite the bustle going on all around him. He was a quiet little thing for a baby that's a few months old, much quieter than his older sister was at that age, notably. And as such, he didn't make that much of a fuss compared to Mari either. Just as Ann mentioned, the spring breeze carried the scattering cherry blossom petals and made them dance within its path. A few strays fell into the little baby carriage and landed beside Tadashi's hair and face. The pink petal tickled his delicate nose, and he sneezed, effectively waking him up.

"Bless you, Tadashi!" Mari said, looking down at the stroller.

Disturbed from his slumber thanks to that sneeze, Tadashi made a hiccup and began to cry. He may be a quiet baby, but he doesn't like it when something disturbs his sleep. That’s when he really starts to fuss.

"Uh oh." Mari commented, resting her chin against her father's messy curls as she looked on in worry. Even she knew that Tadashi crying was a bad sign.

"Don't worry, Mari," Akira assured, looking down at the stroller. "Mama's got this one.”

Ann took a moment to slow down and pull the stroller to the side. Once she pulled over, she went around the front of the stroller and crouched down to Tadashi's level. Akira stopped walking and patiently waited as Ann attended to their crying son, ready to move if she needed him.

"Aww... it's okay, Tadashi. Don't cry..." Ann soothed, gently stroking his chubby cheek as she adjusted his blankets. "It's just a little sneeze, that's all."

Tadashi continued to cry until his mother managed to calm him down. He made another hiccup as he sniffed and cooed, his gray eyes watery with tears. Ann smiled gently as she ran a hand through his soft black hair. As she did so, she took out a stray cherry blossom petal that was still atop his head.

"There we go. I even found the culprit." Ann mused, holding up the petal in-between her fingers for Akira to see.

"Guess you called it before." Akira mused with a chuckle.

"I guess I did." Ann said, turning towards her little baby one more time. She wouldn’t want Tadashi to get cranky before they even got to the entrance. So she wanted to make sure that he was going to be calm the rest of the trip. 

"We're almost there, honey," she voiced softly. “Can you be a big boy for Mama?”

Tadashi sniffed once more, helplessly looking up at his mother as little tears ran down his face. Ann gently wiped away his tears with her thumb, humming softly as a way to calm him down even more. Eventually, Tadashi was cooing softly as his mother comforted him. His eyes were still a little watery, but thankfully he wasn’t crying anymore.

“There we go…! That’s a good boy!” Ann praised, ticking his cheek with her finger. Tadashi cutely giggled at the feeling of being tickled before eventually calming down. Once everything seemed to be okay, Ann stood back up and took hold of the stroller once more, flashing a bright smile at her husband and daughter.

“Crisis averted!” Ann announced cheerfully. “Tadashi’s gonna be okay!”

“That’s our boy.” Akira mused with a smile.

“Ah… ber…?” Mari slowly parrotted, making a little frown. Akira chuckled a little as he looked up at her, watching her form a pout as she stumbled on the word ‘averted’.

“I don’t think you’re ready for that word, Mari.” He laughed.

“She’s trying, though! MariMari’s a smart girl.” Ann chimed. She tends to get excited whenever Mari tries to learn something new on her own, even when she stumbles. Such was the pride of motherhood. 

“So, shall we go?” Ann then asked, to which Akira nodded.

“We shall. This little picnic isn’t going to start with all of us standing on the sidewalk.” he said. With that agreement made, everyone resumed on their path to Inokashira Park, where their family outing awaited them.

\-----

Inokashira Park was filled to the brim with cherry blossoms. The sight of pink flowers and loose petals dancing in the wind was a beautiful thing to behold.

The Kurusu family was sitting beneath the shade of the trees, enjoying their family outing. Akira had the picnic all prepared with a basket full of soft sandwiches, fruit that was easy to chew for Mari, baby food for Tadashi, milk and juice. Underneath them was a large, light blue picnic blanket for everyone to sit on. And of course, the necessities for his young children were right beside him in a zipped-up bag while they were out here. If either Mari or Tadashi needed anything, he and Ann could grab what they needed with ease.

Mari, ever curious, kept looking up at the tree branches above her head while she was eating her food. Petals were constantly falling and dancing in the wind, and it made her smile. As she chewed on her sandwich, Mari raised her hand up in order to catch the petals that were falling. Her little hand constantly grabbed at the air, hoping to at least catch the petals that were closest to her. Ann, who was watching her as she ate, giggled a little as she watched Mari go. It was always good to see that Mari was already so active and adventurous at her age.

“Did you catch one, Mari?” she asked.

“Mmm…” Mari mumbled, shaking her head. Her mouth was still full of food as she kept trying to catch the falling petals.

“Ah-ah. Make sure you swallow your food, little lady!” Ann scolded, not wanting her to choke or spit up her food.

“Mmgh…” Mari mumbled again, putting her hand down for a moment so that she could finish her food like her mother wanted. She paused for a moment, kept chewing, and eventually swallowed the food in her mouth.

“Gone, Mama!” she announced proudly.

“Mhm. Good girl,” Ann said, voicing her approval. “Oh! I think you’ve caught a petal, Mari!”

“Eh…?” Mari looked down at her hands, but saw nothing. She pouted a little as she shook her head, not seeing the petal that her mother mentioned. Ann, however, giggled as she beckoned Mari closer.

“No, no. You caught one! Just not in the way you think.” Ann mused. As Mari crawled closer to her mother, Ann plucked a lone petal that was tussled within Mari’s dark curls. She smiled as she held it out to Mari, watching her blue eyes go wide in awe. “See?”

“Oh!” Mari gasped, surprised that her mother noticed that petal when she didn’t. She then clapped with joy, happy that a petal had finally been caught… even if it was stuck within her hair. Suddenly, curiosity struck again, and Mari started picking at her hair for any more petals that might’ve fallen on her head. After all, if one fell in her hair, maybe _more_ petals fell in her hair!

“Easy, Mari. I don’t think there’s any more petals in your hair.” Akira laughed. While he was keeping an eye on Mari as well, his attention was mostly focused on Tadashi, who he was feeding.

“You of all people know how her hair works!” Ann chided him, gently putting Mari’s hands back down on her sides. Oh, yes… Akira should know. Mari inherited those dark, frizzy curls from him, after all. And her hair was growing more and more with time, which meant those curls were getting harder to tame.

"Yes, I know very well. Papa feels her pain." Akira mused, resisting the urge to grin.

"Papa…" Mari pouted.

"It's true. Trust me, Mari, you'll grow into it. Then the worst you'll have is a wild bedhead." He eased, sounding completely confident in his advice. 

"Nuh-uh, don't underestimate a wild bedhead on a girl. Especially one with your curls." Ann pointed out as she delicately combed through her daughter's hair with her fingers. Once Ann felt satisfied with how Mari's hair looked, she gently smoothed it out and rested her hand on top of Mari's head.

"That's why Mama's here to help her out, right? Papa will help out, of course, but Mama's better on that front." Akira said, grinning to himself.

"Mh-hm. Though Papa's still gonna be on combing duty whenever Mama's busy." Ann pointed out, eyeing him a bit. Mari was too busy giggling over hearing her parents' banter. Hearing her giggle made Akira's smile turn warmer than before. It's a wonder that Mari finds this all so amusing.

"Of course. I'll be happy to help make my little lady beautiful." he said. Once he saw that Ann had Mari's needs covered, he resumed feeding his hungry son. Tadashi was now sitting in a baby carrier, patting his arms against his knees as he stared at the spoon full of baby food above him. When Akira turned his attention back to Tadashi, Tadashi patted his arms once more, making it very clear to his father that he wanted the food.

"Now… where were we? Ah, yes..." Akira proceeded to slowly move the spoon towards Tadashi's mouth, opening his own to get his son to mimic him. Instead of just saying 'ahh', Akira found an easier way to get Tadashi to open his mouth: saying the first syllable of his name. "Taaaaaaaaaa…"

Tadashi happily opened his mouth, allowing Akira to feed him the baby food with relative ease. He closed his mouth around the spoon, eating the contents as his father lifted the spoon from his mouth. Akira carefully scooped up the stray remnants of food that were trickling down Tadashi's chin. Once he gathered those stray dribbles, he fed them to Tadashi again, making sure that he ate all of his food.

"Taaaaaa…" he goaded on, parting his mouth slightly. Tadashi copied what his father was doing and opened his mouth, allowing Akira to feed him the rest of the food. He smiled at his son as he straightened up his posture.

"Good job, Tadashi." Akira praised. Tadashi cooed as he patted his knees again, making his father chuckle.

"Still hungry? Well… we know what to do, don't we?" he said. Akira inserted the spoon inside the jar of baby food and gathered another spoonful for Tadashi to eat. He then leaned down to Tadashi’s level with the spoon in hand, ready to feed him once more. “Taaaaaaaaa…”

Ann looked on with a warm smile as she watched Akira feed Tadashi. She remembered the time when he first introduced that trick to her, saying that he came up with a fun way to help Tadashi eat. In his brand of dramatic flair, Akira said that it was a stroke of genius. Ann laughed at him at the time, but it really warmed her heart to see Akira having fun with his son as he took care of him. She never had any doubt that he would be a wonderful father.

“Papa’s wonderful, isn’t he?” Ann asked her daughter.

“Uh-huh!” Mari agreed enthusiastically. She was now standing up as she tried to catch the falling cherry blossom petals with her hands. “Papa is the best Papa!”

“Yes, he is!” Ann agreed with a cheerful smile. From the corner of her eye, Ann could see a blush forming across her husband’s face as he continued to feed Tadashi. The sight made Ann giggle to herself, but it also made her come up with an idea to mess with him a little. “Mari, you love your Papa, don’t you?” she then asked.

“Uh-huh!” Mari answered, nodding profusely. “I love Papa a lot!”

“How much?” Ann asked, spacing her hands out. The way she held out her hands made it seem like she was making a space as big as Mari’s head. “This much?”

“Too small, Mama!” Mari huffed, before she spread out her arms in a wide motion. “This much!”

“Ooh, that’s a lot!” Ann gasped dramatically, sneaking a look Akira’s way in order to see his reaction.

“....” Akira smiled to himself as he overheard Ann and Mari talking about him. Even though he was blushing out of slight embarrassment, especially since he knew Ann was goading Mari on purpose, he was happy to hear all of it. He unzipped the bag next to him and took out a napkin, gently wiping Tadashi’s mouth with it. Once he saw that there were no longer any remnants of food around Tadashi’s mouth, Akira put away the now empty jar of baby food inside the bag and zipped it back up.

“I can hear you two talking about me over there.” he called out to the girls.

“Oh? Can you?” Ann asked innocently.

“I can. You don’t think that I’m gonna let you two get away with that, do you?” Akira said, straightening up his posture once more.

“I thought you liked all the affection we shower you with.” Ann laughed.

“I do. I always appreciate the love that you girls show me. And now, as a gentleman, I’ll have to return the favor,” A devious smile formed on Akira’s lips as he stood up from his seat. He raised his hands and did grabby motions as he slowly crept towards Ann and Mari, making Ann stifle her laughter as she watched him move. Mari however, simply stared at her father wide-eyed, wondering what he was trying to do.

“Switch!” Akira bellowed, diving in to tickle Mari’s ticklish sides. Mari shrieked loudly as she reeled from her father’s tickling attack, giggling in-between her shrieks.

“Papa!!” Mari laughed, flailing her little arms. “Nooooo!!”

“Ah, but I’m showing my appreciation for you, my lady.” Akira said sweetly, still tickling his daughter mercilessly.

“Mama! Mama! Help, help!” Mari cried, trying to crawl her way towards her mother for safety. Ann stifled her laughter again as she reached her hand out to her. Poor, poor Mari…

“Oh, don’t think that I forgot about you, _Mama._ ” Akira said, grinning evilly as he looked up at his wife. Ann was no longer laughing when she recognized that devious glint in his eye. Mari was already squirming under those devilish fingers of his, and now she’s next…!

“Oh no you don’t! Nononono!” Ann panicked, throwing her hand up in front of her as she scooted away. “Akira! Don’t you dare -- !!”

Oh, he dared.

Akira switched his target from Mari to Ann as he moved in and tickled her sides. Even when she was an adult, she was still very ticklish in those tell tale spots. Ann shrieked as she erupted in laughter, desperately trying to cover her vulnerable spots from her merciless husband. On the one hand, he did give mercy to poor Mari, if only for a little while. On the other hand… damn him for knowing her weak spots so well…! No matter how much she shoved his hands away, she couldn’t stop laughing!

“No fair…! Ahahaha!!” Ann gasped, with little beads of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “You’re gonna pay for this!!”

“Am I?” Akira responded coyly, showing no signs of stopping.

“Papa!!” Mari shrieked, tugging at Akira’s shirt. “Don’t be mean to Mama!”

“Yeah, _Papa!_ Don’t be mean to me…!!” Ann squeaked in-between her laughter.

“Wanting to help your mother, hm? Such a good girl, Mari.” Akira mused, glancing at his little girl. “However…!”

Akira switched his targets once again. Instead of mercilessly tickling Ann like he was doing before, this time he scooped up Mari in his arms, making her squeal happily as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek. Ann took the opportunity to pounce on Akira and tackle him to the ground, with the three of them sprawled against the picnic blanket. Mari laughed within Akira’s arms, clearly enjoying herself as she played with her parents. Nearby, Tadashi was cooing in his baby carrier, oblivious to the chaos that his family was getting into. He was simply happy that he got fed. The area was just filled with laughter as everyone enjoyed themselves. Today’s picnic was definitely shaping up to be an eventual one.

“Okay, okay… let’s finish our food first, Mari. Your brother already finished his.” Akira said as his laughter waned. “If you do, we could walk around the park and play some more.”

“Yay!” Mari cheered, beaming at the thought of exploring with her parents some more. She got up from her father’s arms and waddled over to the picnic basket, where the rest of her lunch awaited her. Ann helped Akira up from the ground, and the two of them re-adjusted themselves around their picnic area, keeping watch over their kids.

\-----

The day finally began to slow down as the afternoon sun began to wane.

Akira and Ann were now sitting on a bench in the middle of Inokashira Park, huddling together as they admired the sights of the pond before them. Even though they wrapped up their picnic a long time ago, the two of them remained in the park so that their children could further enjoy the sights. Little Mari was especially enthusiastic upon seeing the new sights. Not only did she enjoy playing around the cherry blossom trees, she was especially happy with just running around the park, giving both of her parents a workout as they tried to keep up with her. Now, there was finally a moment of reprieve for Akira and Ann as they relaxed on the bench with their young children in tow. Tadashi was already fast asleep in his baby carriage, and Mari was nice and quiet as she rested in her father’s arms. Ann leaned over to see if her daughter was awake, noticing that she fell quiet.

“...Did Mari fall asleep?” Ann asked.

“Yeah… she finally wore herself out. With the way she was running around today, I’m surprised Mari didn’t fall asleep sooner.” Akira’s voice was soft as he gently stroked Mari’s back, not wanting to disturb her slumber.

“No kidding. At least she looked like she was having fun,” Ann mused, smiling down at Mari as she brushed away a stray curl from her eyes. “Guess we can count this picnic a success, huh?”

“Yeah, we can.” Akira said, nodding as he smiled at Ann. “The kids had fun, and we finally got to enjoy a family outing. This was perfect.”

“I’m glad.” Ann said, leaning her head against Akira’s shoulder. As Ann looked out at the cherry blossom trees sitting across the pond, she smiled fondly at the familiar sight.

“This place hasn’t changed a bit,” she commented. “Cherry blossoms aside, this place looks just like it did when we were in high school. If I can imagine it hard enough, I could remember the spots where the two of us were just talking and training together.”

“Training, huh? So you still remember it.” Akira said, his lips forming a slight quirk.

“Remember what?” Ann asked, looking up at him.

_“Our special training.”_

“What?! You bring that up now?!” Ann huffed, poking his cheek with her finger. “Ooh, you’re lucky that you’re holding Mari right now.”

“Come on, don’t be so embarrassed.” Akira chuckled, despite him wincing at Ann twisting her finger against his cheek. “It should be a funny memory.”

“...Yeah, true. In retrospect, it was pretty funny. And silly. I had you say all kinds of things to me back then,” Ann said, reminiscing about days long past. “My heart was beating so fast, but I tried not to let it get to me. That would’ve just ruined the heart training!” 

“Try being in my shoes. Awkward’s not a big enough word to describe what I felt at that moment.” Akira sighed.

“You could’ve fooled me.” Ann laughed, shaking her head.

“...There was one phrase that I blurted out to you back then, remember?” Akira mentioned. “I tried to say it as straight as I could to throw you off, but I ended up trying not to let myself lose it in the process.”

“I think I remember what that phrase was...” Ann mused sweetly, smiling up at him. “You big cheater.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? You did say I could say _anything,_ didn’t you?” Akira said.

“Yeah, it worked, but I didn’t think that you would just blurt that out at the time…!” Ann refuted. “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m getting worked over a silly game that happened years ago!”

“You’re getting worked up _now,_ but you were pretty serious about it at the time,” Akira chuckled, his voice warm. “But… in a weird way, it did bring us closer as friends. As time went on, we became closer, and closer… to the point where saying ‘I love you’ became second nature. As embarrassing as that training was back then, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I wouldn’t trade any of our time together.”

“...Me neither.” Ann agreed. Her eyes then fell to her slumbering daughter, who was sleeping soundly in her father’s arms. Ann took a moment to gently stroke Mari’s cheek with a curved finger, smiling at the sight of her peaceful expression. She then lifted her head up from Akira’s shoulder to check on Tadashi, who was also sleeping soundly in his baby carriage. She adjusted his blankets carefully, careful not to wake him up. Ann kept her smile as she watched him sleep, content that she was here with her little family.

“When they grow up, I hope our kids have their own little embarrassing moments in this park,” Ann said fondly. “They don’t even have to be embarrassing! Just let them make good memories that they can carry with them forever, like we once did.”

“Let’s hope they’ll make better memories than we did. And a better life,” Akira added, gently running his hand through Mari’s hair. “They don’t need to experience the ugliness that any of us did.”

“Mmm. I’ll second that. We’ll be there for them, as best we can.” Ann encouraged. She lifted herself up slightly so that she could give Akira a quick peck on the cheek. Akira, feeling this, turned his head towards her and smirked.

“Oh, no. Get back here.” he said with a slight drawl to his voice.

“Hehe. Suit yourself. ~” Ann purred sweetly. She leaned in once more, meeting her husband halfway as they shared a sweet kiss under the endless cherry blossoms. The warmth of that kiss was accompanied with the light of the afternoon sun, and it made the moment feel nostalgic. Memories of their high school days flashed in their minds, filled with little moments similar to this and more. It’s times like these that made the both of them remember that they’ve really come a long way since that fateful school year.

Maybe someday, their children would have these experiences too.

“Ready to head home?” Akira asked as he parted away from Ann.

“Yeah. It’s about that time,” Ann agreed, nodding at him. “Ooh, one sec…”

“Hm?” Akira blinked as Ann reached at his hair. She brushed away at his wild curls, before finally picking something out of it. It was a stray cherry blossom petal that managed to nestle itself in his hair as he was resting. Ann giggled to herself as she flicked it away.

“You had a little something there.” she mentioned, closing an eye at him.

“Thanks, _Mama._ ” Akira mused, chuckling under his breath as he finally rose up from his seat. He adjusted his arms in order to keep the sleeping Mari steady as he carried her. They had quite the walk ahead of them, after all. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Ann replied, already taking hold of Tadashi’s stroller. With their family outing complete and their children satisfied, the Kurusu family headed back to their home, accompanied with the beautiful sight of cherry blossoms in bloom all around them.


End file.
